INDIA: Villager commits suicide in West Bengal due to hunger and lack of concern by authorities

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received disturbing news from Masum of the death of a villager who committed suicide due to poverty and starvation in West Bengal on August 21, 2005. Bighna Bhuiyan, a resident of Bhuiyanpara Village, Kumarganj Block, South Dinajpur District was struggling to provide food for his family and was allegedly suffering from various malnutrition related diseases. Bighna’s death occurred despite the government’s claims to various sustainable schemes for the poor. It also occurred despite Bighna’s pleas for assistance to the village Panchayat.

There have been several other cases of death due to malnutrition and poverty in the past year in Bhuiyanpara Village. Those villagers enlisted under the BPL (Below Poverty Line) are also failing to receive any help. The district administration seems to be entirely ignorant of the imminent situation in the village and without immediate help, many more deaths due to starvation and hunger are certain.

The AHRC asks for an immediate investigation into this case in the hope that justice may be sought and no further deaths occur. Furthermore, we hope that those authorities that were capable of preventing this death are held responsible for their inaction.

Urgent Appeals Desk – Hunger Alert
Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
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DETAILED INFORMATION:

Victim: Bighna Bhuiyan
Location: Bhuiyanpara Village, Kumarganj Block, South Dinajpur District, West Bengal

Bighna Bhuiyan, who was unable to sustain either himself or his family due to abject poverty, committed suicide in Bhuiyanpara Village by hanging himself from a tree on August 21, 2005.  Bighna and his family of six lived in a mud house. In order to earn a living Bighna worked as a day labourer. However, it was often difficult to find work, especially during the monsoons and Bighna found it increasingly hard to provide adequate food for his family. As a consequence, Bighna soon began to suffer from various disorders related to malnutrition.

His numerous pleas to the local Panchayat went unheard and he was unable to gain access to any of the schemes floated by the government for the poor, such as a BPL card, Annyapurna Yojana, or Antyaday Yojana.

Bhuiyanpara village is poor with most families living in abject poverty and suffering from starvation and malnutrition. According to villagers, there have been nine starvation-related deaths in the past year. Though the Chief Medical Officer (Health) has informed the district administration of the need for urgent food grains, nothing has been done so far in this regard. It is disturbing that instead of recognising the need for immediate food, a medical team has been provided to aid the villagers instead.

The Block Development Officer of Kumarganj, Mr. Saikat Asraf Ali appears ignorant of the starvation crisis crippling Bhuiyanpara village. Instead of recognising the extreme food shortage and the predicament the people within the village are facing, Mr. Ali instead told Masum, a human rights organisation in West Bengal that the population of the entire village seems to be addicted to alcohol and the Civil Administration is actively involved in destroying all the liquor shops. He also stated that Bighna was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, which may have led to his death.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

The state administration in West Bengal has shown negligence and inaction towards those suffering from abject hunger, as demonstrated in our previous hunger alerts. (Please see HA-13-2005, , HA-06-2005, HU-05-2005, HA-03-2005).

Despite our repeated letters highlighting the appalling situation of food related issues, no effective steps have been taken to end the suffering of the people facing this crisis. Many of the government programmes that do exist to assist the poor are besieged by problems of corruption and bureaucracy, which render them futile. Sometimes, when help does arrive, it is much too late. It is indeed unfortunate that the food granaries are full of grains, while endless people are going hungry and many are dying. At present, the issue of ‘Right to Life’ as enshrined in the Indian Constitution is being completely violated by the government.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write to the Chief Minister of West Bengal voicing your concerns over the hunger in the area and requesting that immediate assistance be provided to victims to ensure that no more starvation deaths occur. Furthermore, please ask that the appropriate authorities be reprimanded for their inaction in Bighna’s case, which ultimately lead to his death.

 

 

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